Four nights at Blackbird Caye Resort at Turneffe Atoll, followed by three more nights at Aqua Marina Suites on Ambergris Caye.
I posted a few pictures on "the other" board with this report.
http://dive.scubadiving.com/members/tripreports.php?s=3152
We arrived in Belize City around 11:00am Belize time and were immediately met by Mariano from Blackbird Resort. We noticed right away from the way we were greeted that the Belize people were very friendly and nice. They seemed to actually like tourists. This was very different from our last trip.
After a short wait for a few more couples on soon to arrive flights also destined for Blackbird Caye we boarded a bus and were taken to off load our luggage on to the Blackbird Resort Boat (referred to by our Divemaster Nadia as Big Bird). We were then dropped off at a small restaurant/bar/lounge near the Radisson to wait for the later flights and more guests to arrive. Here would spend the next several (3 Plus) hours having lunch and drinking Belikin Beer with two of the couples (Keith and Susie/ Terry and Lili) we would be spending the next several days with at Blackbird Resort. (We meet the nicest people on scubadiving vacations) Finally we were all bused back to Big Bird and finally on our way Blackbird Resort. The boat ride was about 1 ½ hrs and was quite scenic with all of little islands to see along the way. www.blackbirdresort.com
Arriving at Blackbird Resort we were met by some of the staff, Kenny and Kitty. They welcomed us with a Rum Punch made with the local Rum Travelers One Barrel which was quite tasty. Kenny gave us briefing on the Resort and schedules for meals and activities. After some paperwork we went to our cabanas where our belongings had been delivered already. Our Cabana #14 was a deluxe and seemed quite new. It had tiled floors, a real ceiling and roof unlike some of the standard cabanas that have wood floors and thatch ceilings. Our cabana was extremely nice and roomy with a CD player and mini fridge, no TVs in any of them. There was plenty of hot water for showers and plenty of air conditioning. The deluxe cabanas have separate air conditioners in the bedrooms as well as one in the sitting area. The view from the front porch was spectacular as promised by Ellen at Reefs, Ruins, and Rain Forests who we booked this portion of our vacation with.
The food was very good and there was plenty of it, if you wanted anything more all you had to do is ask.( One guy had three desserts one night) Water was available all day and other drinks could be purchased at the bar and charged to your bill. If there was no staff at the bar, you could just record what you took in the booklet behind the bar. All meals were included in our package.
When the breeze was nott blowing here the mosquitos were awful. We found our selves slathering up in Deep Woods Off several times a day to combat them. They were vicious and would bite any little area not covered in repellant including the palms of your hands. This made hanging around outside impossible. Turneffe Atoll is grouping of Mangrove flats and an ideal breeding ground for Mosquitos. This prompted the nickname of Black Bug Resort which I borrowed from Susie. If not for these pesky insects, I would have to say Blackbird Resort was Paradise.
The diving around Tuneffe was pretty good. Not as colorful as saaaayyy- Cozumel but it had a good population of Turtles, Groupers, and more Green Morays that we have seen at other Caribbean destination. Most dives were around 45 minutes to an hr. We did the nine dives in three days that were included in our package. Our Divemaster Nadia (nay-dia) was great and she did a good job of pointing out the good stuff. She found a black and white spotted Toad Fish that was hiding in the coral. She took us back to the same spot on the night dive to see it out and about. Other than the Toad Fish, the night dive was pretty much void of life. Someone reported seeing a slipper lobster but not much else.
Our third day (Tuesday) of diving was the definate highlight- Light House Atoll- Blue Hole Day! We boarded Big Bird and set off to the Blue Hole. It was quit rainy on the way out. Upon our arrival at the Blue Hole there was a storm right over us making many of us now call it the Black Hole. There was plenty of light inside though and it was an interesting descent down in to this seemingly bottomless pit. We went to about 130 feet (or so) and swam around the amazingly gigantic stalactites, then slowly back up to around 45 where were met by the resident Reef Sharks. They swam around for a while along with some really big Groupers. All seemed to be looking for handouts and we think the boat visiting prior to us may have thrown some food in for them. It was a nice dive, but like the cenotes in Akumal, I felt like I had been there-done that, once is probably enough.
We then went to Half Moon Caye to off-gas while the crew changed over our tanks . After exploring this neat little island we got back on the boat and did a dive at Half Moon Wall. Great dive! After that we went back to the Island for a Barbeque lunch prepared by the boat staff. We also walked to a Blue Footed Booby and Frigate bird rookery. It was quite site to see and some of the birds were pretty close. It had to be over 100 degrees on the lookout platform.
From there we moved over to Long Caye where we did one dive at a site called the Aquarium. This was diving at it finest, there were so many fish that you could barely see the diver in front of you. We were followed along by a big green moray who the Divemaster later said was interested in my green fins. You could dive this site over & over and not see half of what was living there. We must go back!
On Wednesday morning we left to go to Ambergris Caye for the last three nights of our week long vacation. We traveled on Big Bird back to Belize City and took a taxi to the Marine Terminal for the Ferry to San Pedro. (Next time we might take the short flight instead) I had visions of the Playa del Carmen Ferry in my mind when deciding to take the $12 ferry vs. a 15 minute $50 flight. It was nothing like I had hoped. The boats they used were not even in the Ferry Family . They were crowded, uncovered, and stacked with luggage. I felt more like we were defecting from Cuba than taking a Ferry. Fortunately it did not rain, but the sun was blistering on this 1 ½ hr ride while our sunscreen was packed away in our luggage. This Ferry stopped at Caye Caulker as well, so we got a glimpse of it too on our way to Ambergris.
It was Independence Day in Belize on the day we arrived in San Pedro. The locals lined the street for a small parade in celebration. Its the low season for tourists and there werent many to be seen. We didnt see any other hotel guests other than ourselves at Aqua Marina Suites. This hotel is adequate and rooms are very spacious with kitchenettes. Many restaurants were closed for the month. But we did eat at Fidos (Limited low season menu), Elvies (very, very good), Blue Water Grill at the Sea Breeze hotel (good). Good food is easy to come by in San Pedro. The Sea Breeze looked the place to stay in our opinion. We would probably try it if we return to San Pedro. It was a nicely laid out hotel with a nice pool and great restaurant on premise.
We chose to dive with Amigos Del Mar due to the reviews on some of the scuba boards. They were every bit as good as we had heard. The reef structure around Ambergris was impressive but lacked in sponges and corals. The groupers followed us around like dogs and didnt mind getting up close for a good look into our masks. They too looked for handouts from divers and our Divemaster had brought them sardines. I dont know if I agree with feeding the fish, but it was certainly entertaining. They also threw in a fish head from the boat to attract the nurse sharks and about 7 showed up. We witnessed a nurse shark feeding frenzy. The groupers and even a few green morays joined in. Other than the fish attracted by the feeding and a few distant Eagle Rays, I would say there is not much else on the reef at the sites we visited a short distance from San Pedro.
The night dive on Ambergris would be quite different. We went to the Hol Chan Marine Park for this dive and it was absolutely fantastic. There were eels, crabs, lobsters, tarpon, sleeping fish, stingrays, basket stars, and more. This dive was definitely one of the top two night dives I have done to date.
We ended up doing 5 dives with Amigos Del Mar and would recommend them if anyone is traveling to San Pedro.
Overall as destination, I really enjoyed the two spots we visited. Belize however has many destinations with in it. Some of the other divers were heading in to the jungle for a few days after being at Blackbird. I would like to add that our itinerary if we returned. Also, I look forward to someday visiting Glovers Atoll, as well as Long Caye (when they build a place to stay).
Blackbird Resort- 5 stars
Diving Around Blackbird Caye- 3 stars
Diving Lighthouse Atoll- 5 stars
Aqua Marina Suites San Pedro- 3 stars
Amigos Del Mar Dive Shop- 5 stars
Diving around Ambergris - 3 stars
Over all Destination- 4 stars
I posted a few pictures on "the other" board with this report.
http://dive.scubadiving.com/members/tripreports.php?s=3152
We arrived in Belize City around 11:00am Belize time and were immediately met by Mariano from Blackbird Resort. We noticed right away from the way we were greeted that the Belize people were very friendly and nice. They seemed to actually like tourists. This was very different from our last trip.
After a short wait for a few more couples on soon to arrive flights also destined for Blackbird Caye we boarded a bus and were taken to off load our luggage on to the Blackbird Resort Boat (referred to by our Divemaster Nadia as Big Bird). We were then dropped off at a small restaurant/bar/lounge near the Radisson to wait for the later flights and more guests to arrive. Here would spend the next several (3 Plus) hours having lunch and drinking Belikin Beer with two of the couples (Keith and Susie/ Terry and Lili) we would be spending the next several days with at Blackbird Resort. (We meet the nicest people on scubadiving vacations) Finally we were all bused back to Big Bird and finally on our way Blackbird Resort. The boat ride was about 1 ½ hrs and was quite scenic with all of little islands to see along the way. www.blackbirdresort.com
Arriving at Blackbird Resort we were met by some of the staff, Kenny and Kitty. They welcomed us with a Rum Punch made with the local Rum Travelers One Barrel which was quite tasty. Kenny gave us briefing on the Resort and schedules for meals and activities. After some paperwork we went to our cabanas where our belongings had been delivered already. Our Cabana #14 was a deluxe and seemed quite new. It had tiled floors, a real ceiling and roof unlike some of the standard cabanas that have wood floors and thatch ceilings. Our cabana was extremely nice and roomy with a CD player and mini fridge, no TVs in any of them. There was plenty of hot water for showers and plenty of air conditioning. The deluxe cabanas have separate air conditioners in the bedrooms as well as one in the sitting area. The view from the front porch was spectacular as promised by Ellen at Reefs, Ruins, and Rain Forests who we booked this portion of our vacation with.
The food was very good and there was plenty of it, if you wanted anything more all you had to do is ask.( One guy had three desserts one night) Water was available all day and other drinks could be purchased at the bar and charged to your bill. If there was no staff at the bar, you could just record what you took in the booklet behind the bar. All meals were included in our package.
When the breeze was nott blowing here the mosquitos were awful. We found our selves slathering up in Deep Woods Off several times a day to combat them. They were vicious and would bite any little area not covered in repellant including the palms of your hands. This made hanging around outside impossible. Turneffe Atoll is grouping of Mangrove flats and an ideal breeding ground for Mosquitos. This prompted the nickname of Black Bug Resort which I borrowed from Susie. If not for these pesky insects, I would have to say Blackbird Resort was Paradise.
The diving around Tuneffe was pretty good. Not as colorful as saaaayyy- Cozumel but it had a good population of Turtles, Groupers, and more Green Morays that we have seen at other Caribbean destination. Most dives were around 45 minutes to an hr. We did the nine dives in three days that were included in our package. Our Divemaster Nadia (nay-dia) was great and she did a good job of pointing out the good stuff. She found a black and white spotted Toad Fish that was hiding in the coral. She took us back to the same spot on the night dive to see it out and about. Other than the Toad Fish, the night dive was pretty much void of life. Someone reported seeing a slipper lobster but not much else.
Our third day (Tuesday) of diving was the definate highlight- Light House Atoll- Blue Hole Day! We boarded Big Bird and set off to the Blue Hole. It was quit rainy on the way out. Upon our arrival at the Blue Hole there was a storm right over us making many of us now call it the Black Hole. There was plenty of light inside though and it was an interesting descent down in to this seemingly bottomless pit. We went to about 130 feet (or so) and swam around the amazingly gigantic stalactites, then slowly back up to around 45 where were met by the resident Reef Sharks. They swam around for a while along with some really big Groupers. All seemed to be looking for handouts and we think the boat visiting prior to us may have thrown some food in for them. It was a nice dive, but like the cenotes in Akumal, I felt like I had been there-done that, once is probably enough.
We then went to Half Moon Caye to off-gas while the crew changed over our tanks . After exploring this neat little island we got back on the boat and did a dive at Half Moon Wall. Great dive! After that we went back to the Island for a Barbeque lunch prepared by the boat staff. We also walked to a Blue Footed Booby and Frigate bird rookery. It was quite site to see and some of the birds were pretty close. It had to be over 100 degrees on the lookout platform.
From there we moved over to Long Caye where we did one dive at a site called the Aquarium. This was diving at it finest, there were so many fish that you could barely see the diver in front of you. We were followed along by a big green moray who the Divemaster later said was interested in my green fins. You could dive this site over & over and not see half of what was living there. We must go back!
On Wednesday morning we left to go to Ambergris Caye for the last three nights of our week long vacation. We traveled on Big Bird back to Belize City and took a taxi to the Marine Terminal for the Ferry to San Pedro. (Next time we might take the short flight instead) I had visions of the Playa del Carmen Ferry in my mind when deciding to take the $12 ferry vs. a 15 minute $50 flight. It was nothing like I had hoped. The boats they used were not even in the Ferry Family . They were crowded, uncovered, and stacked with luggage. I felt more like we were defecting from Cuba than taking a Ferry. Fortunately it did not rain, but the sun was blistering on this 1 ½ hr ride while our sunscreen was packed away in our luggage. This Ferry stopped at Caye Caulker as well, so we got a glimpse of it too on our way to Ambergris.
It was Independence Day in Belize on the day we arrived in San Pedro. The locals lined the street for a small parade in celebration. Its the low season for tourists and there werent many to be seen. We didnt see any other hotel guests other than ourselves at Aqua Marina Suites. This hotel is adequate and rooms are very spacious with kitchenettes. Many restaurants were closed for the month. But we did eat at Fidos (Limited low season menu), Elvies (very, very good), Blue Water Grill at the Sea Breeze hotel (good). Good food is easy to come by in San Pedro. The Sea Breeze looked the place to stay in our opinion. We would probably try it if we return to San Pedro. It was a nicely laid out hotel with a nice pool and great restaurant on premise.
We chose to dive with Amigos Del Mar due to the reviews on some of the scuba boards. They were every bit as good as we had heard. The reef structure around Ambergris was impressive but lacked in sponges and corals. The groupers followed us around like dogs and didnt mind getting up close for a good look into our masks. They too looked for handouts from divers and our Divemaster had brought them sardines. I dont know if I agree with feeding the fish, but it was certainly entertaining. They also threw in a fish head from the boat to attract the nurse sharks and about 7 showed up. We witnessed a nurse shark feeding frenzy. The groupers and even a few green morays joined in. Other than the fish attracted by the feeding and a few distant Eagle Rays, I would say there is not much else on the reef at the sites we visited a short distance from San Pedro.
The night dive on Ambergris would be quite different. We went to the Hol Chan Marine Park for this dive and it was absolutely fantastic. There were eels, crabs, lobsters, tarpon, sleeping fish, stingrays, basket stars, and more. This dive was definitely one of the top two night dives I have done to date.
We ended up doing 5 dives with Amigos Del Mar and would recommend them if anyone is traveling to San Pedro.
Overall as destination, I really enjoyed the two spots we visited. Belize however has many destinations with in it. Some of the other divers were heading in to the jungle for a few days after being at Blackbird. I would like to add that our itinerary if we returned. Also, I look forward to someday visiting Glovers Atoll, as well as Long Caye (when they build a place to stay).
Blackbird Resort- 5 stars
Diving Around Blackbird Caye- 3 stars
Diving Lighthouse Atoll- 5 stars
Aqua Marina Suites San Pedro- 3 stars
Amigos Del Mar Dive Shop- 5 stars
Diving around Ambergris - 3 stars
Over all Destination- 4 stars
